BRYAN FERRY was wrong. Ambition, not love, is the drug. Besmirching the national flag, not to mention the so- called spirit of the Games, sprinter Jason Livingston and weightlifters Andrew Saxton and Andrew Davies are sent home from Barcelona after testing positive for steroid abuse.
Earlier in the week, by contrast, the Union Jack had been positively fluttering, Ray Stevens earning Britain's first medal by striking silver in the light- heavyweight judo event, Chris Boardman and his revolutionary monocoque bicycle winning the 4,000m pursuit to end a 72-year Olympic drought for home cyclists.
Assisted by a similarly useful machine, Nigel Mansell was first home in the German Grand Prix, equalling Ayrton Senna's record with his eighth victory of the season to move within a win of that elusive Formula One title. Headingley, meanwhile, maintained its reputation for inferior pitches and superior entertainment, David Gower steering England to a series-levelling, six-wicket win in the fourth Test, their first over Pakistan since 1982.
Miguel Indurain is finding his pot of gold somewhat less elusive, retaining the overall yellow jersey in the Tour de France by recording the fastest time in the event's history.
The football season is hovering once more (did it ever go away?), Blackburn Rovers shelling out a British record pounds 3.4m for the Southampton and England striker, Alan Shearer, Coca-Cola trying to put the fizz back into the domestic game by sponsoring the League Cup.
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